Erasmus of Rotterdam has been dubbed as an ambivalent Christian for his
voiced frustrations with the military habits of the Christian empire. Born within the Spanish manifestation of the
Roman Catholic Church’s inquisition, the ordained Erasmus detested how
Christianity was being practiced. Erasmus viewed the Church’s self-proclaimed
‘holy fight against heretics’ as a brutal prosecution of peaceable
non-believers. The pious philosopher was concerned with the hypocrisy that lay
between Christian teachings and Christian actions. Erasmus saw no forgiveness,
no turning of the cheek in the inquisition and passionately advocated against
it, as he believed it did not spread Jesus’s message of love and forgiveness.
The predominant school of thought accepted in
Erasmus’s time was dictated mainly by readings of the ancients (philosophers
such as Plato and Aristotle who made significant contributions to the
development of Just War Theory), from which were born the ideas of Christian
philosophers such as Thomas Aquinus. Aristotle,
a famous formative influence of just war theory, hints towards the necessity of
a just cause to war, one such cause being self-defense. He states, “…defenders
should make use of any means of defense which may have been discovered, and
should devise and invent others…”[1] This
rational paved the way for Aquinus to further develop just war theory. In his
book “Summa theologiae” Aquinus addresses whether or not it is always sinful to
wage war. And he decided it is not. Aquinus puts forward his beliefe that, “In
order for a war to be just, three things are required. First, the authority of
the prince by whose command the war is to be waged. …Secondly, a just cause is
required…Thirdly, it is necessary that those waging war should have rightful
intention, so that they intend the advancement of good, or the avoidance of
evil…”[2] While ideas developed by Aquinus appear
reasonable to most, Erasmus is having none of it. He discredits all
justifications of war saying, “…even the momost just of wars brings with it a train of
evils…”[1]
Erasmus supports a movement away from the
ancients and pushes against Aquinus’ just war theories due in majority, to his
observation of the Church’s use of Just War Theory as justification for
violence and even as a motivation to war.
Erasmus holds that using violence to convert ‘evil’ non-believers or
heretics is more likely to make the Christians evil, than it is to make the
non-believers Christian. Erasmus does not view war as a Christian thing to do,
even if it is to protect or maintain the faith, as Christianity was established
on a foundation of peace. He states, “Perhaps it should not be defended by
other means than those which created and spread it” Erasmus instead advocates
pacifism as Christian behavior, as he believes this is what Jesus would do.
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